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Glite Dictionary
too abstract

too abstract

1 9.5
Hard to understand because it lacks clear facts or examples
  • adjective
  • /tuː ˈæbstrækt/
translation icon : demasiado abstracto
  • The professor's explanation of the theory was too abstract for many students to grasp.

If Spotify is an AI that you talk to, which I think might be a bit too abstract for for many consumers.

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Examples

  • I think you're making this far too abstract.

    Blog text (9)

  • Many students, however, find this process too abstract.

    Academic text (1990)

  • I used to think that science was too abstract.

    Academic text (1995)

  • To them, this debate is too abstract.

    Blog text (28)

  • Generally, the use of lectures via Internet courses is too abstract for learning.

    Academic text (2002)

  • While I generally receive the highest ratings, the responses are too abstract for me to get any real value.

    Blog text (2)

  • If the physics becomes too abstract or too far removed from topics in biology and medicine, the student may lose interest.

    Academic text (2004)

  • I started using Patricia Cunningham's Making Words series, but found that it was too abstract for my Title 1 students.

    Blog text (28)

  • Many of the parents had attended other educational programs but dropped out because they felt the materials were too abstract (Jackson and Freitas 1995).

    Academic text (1997)

  • As bases for accountability, the perspectives of culture or Being are too abstract and too high; as a result, the standards they generate are both unfair and pernicious.

    Academic text (2000)

Synonyms

amorphous
vstoo abstract
  • Formal
8 7.3

Not clear or organized, like an explanation with no main idea

relies on high level ideas rather than concrete, organized details
overgeneral
vstoo abstract
7.2

Saying something in a way that is too broad and misses important details

is more about general ideas and lacks concrete examples
inelaborate
vstoo abstract
7.4

Simple and having few details

focuses on high level ideas and omits concrete supporting details
lacking in depth
vstoo abstract
6.0

Not giving much detail or careful thought

aims at broad concepts and therefore omits in depth explanation

Antonyms

clear
∞ 1.0

Easy to understand and not confusing

concrete
206 3.9

Real and possible to touch rather than abstract

How Abstract

too abstract
1 9.5
abstract
86 7.4
general
56 4.5
concrete
206 3.9
specific
∞ 3.9

Surface Forms

too abstract positive

Morphology

too + abstract

The meaning is directly compositional: 'too' functions as an intensifier meaning 'excessively' and 'abstract' means 'theoretical/not concrete', so together they yield 'excessively abstract; hard to understand'. This intensifier + adjective pattern is common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Too abstract uses the image of the word abstract: something 'pulled away' from real, everyday things — imagine a painting of shapes with no clear objects. Because it lacks concrete examples or clear images, it is 'hard to understand', so saying something is too abstract means it is not easy to follow.